question

[princessap]

Quick question about buying resale. I have been looking up contracts for sale and am interested in BLT. If i purchase a contract do I get the same number of points each year to use??
How do I know what a fair price is?? my dH thinks it is too expensive and is just cheaper to pay for vacations as we go.
How does everyone here consider it better to buy??

thanks! I really would like to buy into dvc but dont know all the details

 

[Missyrose]

Quick question about buying resale. I have been looking up contracts for sale and am interested in BLT.
1. If i purchase a contract do I get the same number of points each year to use??
2. How do I know what a fair price is??
3. my dH thinks it is too expensive and is just cheaper to pay for vacations as we go.
4. How does everyone here consider it better to buy??

thanks! I really would like to buy into dvc but dont know all the details

1. Yes, you purchase a specific real estate interest. So if you purchase a 160-point BLT contract, then you will receive 160 points each year. But be aware when you look at contracts for sale that some come loaded with bank points, while others are stripped of points for a year or two.
2. You can check the ROFR thread to find out what prices people have been paying for each DVC resort and which prices have passed ROFR.
3. Your DH is right, DVC is a very VERY expensive way to do Disney. You're paying a lot of money up front and not insignificant maintenance fees each year. There are lots of other options to research including renting points yearly, staying in mods values using a Disney discount or even offsite timeshares. The thing to remember is DVC only pays for lodging, not for food, tickets or airfare. So while you *may* save some money using DVC, you'll be committing to giving Disney a hefty chunk of change each year.
4. Everyone's situation is different. Our DVC purchases have worked out great. We own 295 points at three resorts (BWV, BLT and VGF) and now definitely spend more at Disney than we did before (annual passes vs. MYW tickets, multiple trips each year, more TS meals because we have Tables in Wonderland). I thought your September 2014 trip was your "last Disney trip for a long time." If that's the case, DVC wouldn't be a very good choice for your family.

You have lots of research and reading to do. You need to learn about use year, banking/borrowing, home resort priority and wait listing for starters. It's best to really crunch the numbers and think things through thoroughly, DVC isn't going anywhere.

 

[princessap]

Thanks. Will keep researching.

We looked into it a few years ago and then stopped looking again as it was too expensive to do it through disney. I am looking at resale contracts now and hoping it might be cheaper.

My DH says our next trip will be last for a while, if it was up to me we would go twice a year! LOL. But I am a SAHM so that isn't practical right now.

I brought up DVC again to my husband and he said to collect all the information and we could discuss it again....he lives by the motto "happy wife, happy life" so he is willing to give it another look

I am jealous you have BLT and VGF as those are now the ones we are considering renting points for!!! lucky girl!

 

[Missyrose]

Thanks. Will keep researching.

We looked into it a few years ago and then stopped looking again as it was too expensive to do it through disney. I am looking at resale contracts now and hoping it might be cheaper.

My DH says our next trip will be last for a while, if it was up to me we would go twice a year! LOL. But I am a SAHM so that isn't practical right now.

I brought up DVC again to my husband and he said to collect all the information and we could discuss it again....he lives by the motto "happy wife, happy life" so he is willing to give it another look

I am jealous you have BLT and VGF as those are now the ones we are considering renting points for!!! lucky girl!

Bolding is mine, but it brings up a good point. Many people (myself included) will tell you to buy where you want to stay. Or at the very least, buy where you wouldn't mind staying. With more and more owners added to DVC's ranks every day, the competition for resorts within the seven-month window gets more intense. So, for us, it was important for us to buy contracts where we most like to stay. But taking advantage of that means being able to plan 11 months in advance, something you can clearly do if you've already started planning for September 2014.

My suggestion (and take it for what it's worth) would be for you to rent points for your next trip. Stay at BLT and get a feel for the resort, get a feel for the villa and learn what a DVC vacation feels like. That way, you'll have a better idea if DVC is a good fit for your family and if BLT is the right home resort for you.

 

[princessap]

Bolding is mine, but it brings up a good point. Many people (myself included) will tell you to buy where you want to stay. Or at the very least, buy where you wouldn't mind staying. With more and more owners added to DVC's ranks every day, the competition for resorts within the seven-month window gets more intense. So, for us, it was important for us to buy contracts where we most like to stay. But taking advantage of that means being able to plan 11 months in advance, something you can clearly do if you've already started planning for September 2014.

My suggestion (and take it for what it's worth) would be for you to rent points for your next trip. Stay at BLT and get a feel for the resort, get a feel for the villa and learn what a DVC vacation feels like. That way, you'll have a better idea if DVC is a good fit for your family and if BLT is the right home resort for you.

Thanks! I have to be a planner so we can budget it!! LOL.

Great idea to try it out first....I am really hoping to get the villas at GF but am nervous I will have to wait till 7 months out to do it and BLT may be gone by then?!?

 

[Missyrose]

Thanks! I have to be a planner so we can budget it!! LOL.

Great idea to try it out first....I am really hoping to get the villas at GF but am nervous I will have to wait till 7 months out to do it and BLT may be gone by then?!?

Honestly? The best shot to get VGF would be at 11 months out, but that requires finding a VGF owner who wants to rent out their points (and most VGF owners bought there to stay there, not to rent). BLT lake view should still be available at the seven-month mark, especially if you want a 1 bedroom. But if you get a couple of months into the booking window and can't find a VGF owner to rent from, you should start to look at your BLT options and book before the seven-month window opens.

 

[Lynne M]

If your husband isn't completely bought in, you may just want to rent from here on out. Yes, with owning, you have the advantage of being able to make your own reservations, but you're also on the hook for hundreds (or thousands) of dollars in annual fees for the next 40 years, whether you go to WDW every year or not.

It sounds like your husband is done with WDW for awhile. Would he be willing to go at least every other year? If not, would you go without him? If you can't answer 'yes' to that with confidence, I'd strongly suggest that you rent instead of own.

Renting eliminates the worry over picking the 'right' resort, too. You can have the advantage of the 11 month window at every resort.

There's a strong emotional pull to 'owning a piece of the magic', but in reality, DVC is just a different way to pay for your lodging. You can have exactly the same vacation experiences as an owner by renting, without the long-term financial commitment.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

I have a little diagnostic that helped me understand my husband's perspective before we purchased, and it helped a few others sort things out. It doesn't give you an answer but it helps you understand your vacation priorities and perhaps your husbands.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13rYxACRTa_fTPw9aGdV0fZOqyQF-s7davY6pFM8LpsM/viewform

 

[Deb & Bill]

And if you try to convince your husband to buy DVC to use it to take vacations other than Disney, you are just fooling yourself. It's not the best way to use DVC points and isn't all the easy at times. Use DVC to stay at DVC.